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The New York Mills School Board has approved a preliminary levy with a decrease of 1.08 percent. The main reason for this is that payments for the general debt decreased by $24,471. This offsets an increase of $11,397 in the general budget, as well as an increase of $2,260 in the community service budget. The overall budget saw a decrease of $10,814. School boards must set their maximum preliminary levies by October, according to state law. The amount may decrease before the final levy is set, which happens in December.

A little over a month ago, 17-year-old Daniela Alvarez traveled more than 3,000 miles northwest from her home in Ecuador to come to New York Mills. And though for now her plan is to be here for a year, thanks to the foreign exchange program, Alvarez hopes to extend her stay in America through medical school and beyond. In an interview last week with her and her hosts, Mitch and Andriane Uselman, Alvarez explained in perfect English that back in Ecuador the government is closing universities, and as a result the entrance exams have become increasingly complicated.

Wearing high heels, Perham Police Chief Jason Hoaby, BHH architect Tony Stoll, Father Matt Kuhn and T.A. Gould owners Tom and Kathy Gould strutted up and down Main Street for the seventh annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser for Someplace Safe. The event brings attention to domestic violence, while showing support for Someplace Safe facilities.

With 12 years of teaching experience under his (black) belt, 2001 Perham High School graduate Nick Bretz is back in town to share his expertise in Taekwondo. Last week, Bretz held a grand opening celebration for his business, Perham Taekwondo, at his new studio above the family store, Bretz Hardware. Bretz told the crowd he felt nervous, which is rare for him - he is also a magician and is used to being in front of a crowd. He said his nerves were probably due to seeing so many familiar faces in the audience.

Perham Health facilities in Perham, New York Mills and Ottertail will switch over to a new electronic medical records system called One Chart, available through Epic Systems Corporation. Patients may experience longer registration times during the initial changeover, as some data must be reentered into the new system. In the long run, however, One Chart has the potential to bring a sense of convenience to providers and patients alike.

Crisp autumn days have arrived, and preparations for area harvest festivals are well underway. Whether it's roaming the treasures at a fall flea market or carving a pumpkin, the harvest season brings plenty of opportunity for fun, for young and old alike. Uncle Ray's Pumpkin Patch - Sept. 29 This coming Saturday, flock to Uncle Ray's Pumpkin Patch for its 11th annual event. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., children are invited to walk the fields and pick out their perfect pumpkins.

The Perham-Dent school board has approved a preliminary levy, payable in 2013, of 19.4 percent more than the current levy. This sharp increase is mostly due to the referendum approved by voters earlier this year. Without that referendum, the overall levy would have increased by .78 percent. The referendum was approved last April, bringing $440,000 to the school district to pay for technology improvements over the next five years. The board will hear public comments about the levy at a Truth and Taxation meeting Dec.

When 16-year-old Nunnapas Paparkun, nicknamed Mony, stepped off the plane in Fargo, N.D. a month ago, her first impression of America was, "It's cold." Even though it was around 65 degrees that night. But it didn't take long for Paparkun to warm up to her host family, Liz and Wes Foley and their two-year-old daughter Janie and one-year-old daughter Ella, of New York Mills. Paparkun has since showed her hosts how to write their names in Thai, helped prepare some Thai meals for them, and spent many evenings visiting about their various cultural differences.

The total tax levy for New York Mills will be held flat next year, despite three large improvement projects. A preliminary levy of 0 percent was approved at last week's city council meeting. Costs for the large projects - the pool ($25,000), city elevator ($34,000) and street sand sealing ($34,000) - will be covered by the Capital Projects Fund, helping to keep the levy from increasing. "A couple years ago we began putting money aside for capital improvement projects," Mayor Larry Hodgson said in a follow-up interview.